Reference

Jeremiah 48:33

And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
31

Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir–heres.

32

O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

33

And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

34

From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.

35

Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Symbolic / Non-Fermented Wine

The verse explicitly mentions "wine" and "winepresses," which are directly associated with the production of fermented alcoholic beverages in ancient cultures. The "shouting" is linked to the treading of grapes, a process that traditionally leads to fermentation. There is no contextual indicator in this verse that suggests "wine" here refers specifically to unfermented grape juice or new wine, nor does it imply a purely symbolic meaning divorced from its typical fermented nature. The loss of joy

Permissible Use (Moderation)

This verse describes the *removal* of wine and the associated joy as a judgment, which does not inherently endorse or permit its use in moderation, but rather highlights its absence as a negative consequence.